Armed Forces: British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 14 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 1362-3W, on armed forces: foreigners, how many of the 390 British Overseas Territories personnel serving in the armed forces  (a) are trained helicopter pilots and  (b) serve in the Royal Air Force.

Bill Rammell: Of the 390 British Overseas Territories personnel serving in the armed forces as at 1 September 2009, fewer than five are trained helicopter pilots. 10 are serving in the Royal Air Force, one of whom are trained helicopter pilots. All figures are rounded to the nearest five.

Armed Forces: Health Services

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what rules are in place in respect of routine visits by regimental associations to soldiers in the military ward of Selly Oak hospital.

Kevan Jones: Visits by members of regimental associations would usually be treated as "pastoral" rather than "official" visits. Pastoral visits are always welcome, but are subject to the wishes of the patient and to local hospital visiting rules and hours.
	Further, visits by family and close friends take precedence, and consequently there may not always be the capacity to allow visits by regimental associations. For that reason, associations are strongly advised to check first with the Headquarters Joint Medical Command Visits Coordinator in order to avoid conflict with higher priority visitors before travel.

Future Large Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated total cost is of the Airbus A400M project.

Quentin Davies: The value of the fixed price acquisition contract for A400M, let on behalf of participating nations, is €20 billion.
	The current forecast cost of A400M for the UK, including initial training and support, is £3285 million, as published in the Major Projects Report 2009.

Courts: Interpreters

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 12 November 2009,  Official Report, column 842W, on interpreters: finance, for what reasons he has not yet written to the hon. Member for West Chelmsford with the information he undertook to provide by Christmas 2009.

Bridget Prentice: I apologise for the delay. However, during the collation of the information requested, we identified that inconsistent answers had been given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Justice (Maria Eagle) to the hon. Member for Wycombe (Mr. Goodman) on 9 May 2008,  Official Report, columns 1270- 71W and the hon. Member for Romsey (Sandra Gidley) on 2 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 640-41W and by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor (Mr. Straw) to the hon. Member for Beaconsfield (Mr. Grieve) on 16 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 955-56W and the hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green) on 20 April 2009,  Official Report, column 337W, on the subject of interpreters expenditure. This necessitated an investigation which has now concluded. The information requested is provided in the following table and covers all the information the Ministry of Justice holds on interpreters expenditure. I will also write to the hon. Members who received incomplete information with a full response as soon as possible.
	 Expenditure on interpreters in England and Wales by the Department and its agencies
	
		
			  The expenditure for financial years 2007-08 and 2008-09 
			  To nearest £ 000 
			   2008-09  2007-08 
			 Ministry of Justice HQ 26 19 
			 HM Courts Service (HMCS) 638 704 
			 HMCS Crown Courts paid from Central Fund Budget 4,503 4,034 
			 Tribunals Service 5,283 6,126 
			 Office of the Public Guardian 40 40 
			 National Offenders Management Service(1) 966 868 
			 Total 11,456 11,791 
			 (1) This figure includes translation costs as well as interpretation costs. The amounts are not separately recorded and can only be disaggregated at disproportionate costs. 
		
	
	The information in the table excludes the following expenditure:
	It is not possible to separately identify expenditure on interpreters by magistrates courts from other magistrates costs financed from the Central Fund Budget without incurring the disproportionate cost of examining every transaction, the supporting records for which are held locally. Sample exercises have been undertaken in the past to estimate the proportion of magistrates expenditure that relates to interpreters but they have yielded inconsistent results.
	The NOMS figure excludes expenditure by the National Probation Service which is held locally by 42 probation boards and trusts who use separate and different accounting systems. Information could only be determined at disproportionate cost through examination of local records.
	 Expenditure on interpreters in Essex by the Department and its agencies
	Expenditure by Her Majesty's Courts Service for interpreters in Crown courts in the Essex region in 2008-09 was £101,941. The comparable figure for 2007-08 cannot be separately identified from the Central Fund payment records which did not include regional identifiers. Information for other parts of the Department is not recorded on a regional basis and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	 Suspects, charged individuals and victims
	Her Majesty's Courts Service meets interpreters' costs for victims, which are provided above. The police meet interpreters' costs for suspects and charged individuals. Police costs are funded by the Home Office.

Departmental Buildings

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) area and  (b) estimated value is of (i) vacant and (ii) occupied office space (A) owned and (B) rented by his Department.

Michael Wills: The departmental estate of the Ministry of Justice currently has:
	 (a) Office space of 68,240 square metres (net internal area), all of which is rented and none of which is vacant.
	 (b) Annual rental cost of £25,588,986.
	The Department also occupies 641square metres in Gwydyr House, Whitehall, London. This site is owned by the. Crown Estate and the Department does not pay rent for this office accommodation.
	The Ministry of Justice's Estates Transformation Programme is currently working to reduce the number of MOJ buildings in central London.

Voluntary Work: Offenders

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been  (a) convicted and  (b) prosecuted for offences committed while working as a volunteer with vulnerable adults.

Claire Ward: Statistical data held by the Ministry of Justice on the Court Proceedings Database records the number of defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales.
	Other than where specified in a statute these data do not include information on the circumstances of an offence and it is therefore not possible to identify whether an offence was committed by a volunteer while working with vulnerable adults.
	The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) has been created to help prevent unsuitable people from working with children and vulnerable adults. Increased safeguards introduced under the Vetting and Barring Scheme from 12 October 2009 make it a criminal offence for individuals barred by the ISA to work or apply to work with children or vulnerable adults in a wide range of posts.
	Court proceedings data for 2009 are expected to be published in the autumn of 2010.

Borders: Personal Records

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what impact assessment has been made of the cost of the e-borders programme to the aviation industry.

Phil Woolas: The potential financial costs to the aviation industry of implementing the data collection requirements of the e-Borders programme were analysed as part of a regulatory impact assessment published in January 2008. The link to the RIA can be found on:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/eBorders-RIA-2008-01-10.html

Borders: Personal Records

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) original and  (b) current estimated cost is of establishment of the e-borders programme.

Phil Woolas: The original planned expenditure for e-Borders from award of the contract to Trusted Borders in November 2007 through to November 2017 was £1.2 billion.
	The current forecast of expenditure for this period, including contingency, is £1.2 billion.

Borders: Personal Records

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Oral Statement of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 28-32, on aviation and border security, what proportion of the e-borders programme is complete.

Phil Woolas: We estimate that e-Borders is currently tracking 45 to 50 per cent. of all passenger movements into and out of the UK, which equates to approximately 100 million passengers annually. This figure is pending formal verification by statisticians.
	e-Borders aims to track 95 per cent. of all passenger and crew movements by December 2010. This will represent all major commercial traffic. The remaining 5 per cent. represents private aviation and the small craft category. e-Borders expect that there will be 100 per cent. coverage by March 2014.

Borders: Personal Records

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the oral statement of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 28-32, on aviation and border security, whether his consideration of additional targeted passenger profiling includes non-behavioural profiling.

Paul Clark: I have been asked to reply.
	We are examining carefully whether targeted passenger profiling might help to enhance airport security. We will be considering all the issues involved, mindful of civil liberties concerns, aware that identity-based profiling has its limitations, but conscious of our overriding obligations to protect peoples' life and liberty.

Departmental Sick Leave

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many working days were lost due to  (a) illness and  (b) stress of employees in his Department in each of the last three years.

Phil Woolas: Sick absence within the Home Office is reported using Cabinet Office standards and definitions, which were introduced with effect from 1 April 2007. Sick absence is defined as the absence of a civil servant due to their illness or injury. No distinction is made on recording systems between "illnesses" and "injuries"; the information provided therefore covers both illnesses and injuries. The data provided for 2006-07 includes the Prison Service which was part of the Home Office before machinery of government changes in May 2007.
	 (a) Total working days lost due to illness/injury of paid civil servants:
	
		
			  Total working days lost 
			   Number 
			 2006-07 803,653.00 
			 2007-08 264,501.10 
			 2008-09 228,520.63 
		
	
	 (b) Absence due to stress is reported within the category "Mental Disorders", in line with Cabinet Office guidance to report absences using the World Health Organisation (WHO) International Classification of Diseases (ICD) version 10. Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide consistent information below this group as it covers anxiety, depression, and stress, as well as other more severe mental health conditions.
	
		
			  Total working days lost of paid civil servants due to mental disorders 
			   Number 
			 2006-07 171,637.39 
			 2007-08 65,410.80 
			 2008-09 24,947.41

Entry Clearances

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many time-limited visas of each type have been issued in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many time-limited visas of each type have been issued in each year since 1997.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 10 December 2009
	The following table shows the number of time limited visas issued to applicants from 2004. Data prior to 2004 is not considered accurate and reliable; therefore it has not been included in the table.
	
		
			   Endorsement category  Issued 
			 2004 EEA family permits 23,877 
			  Family visit 248,154 
			  Other non-settlement 95,541 
			  Other visitor 1,140,775 
			  Student 201,793 
			  Transit 62,076 
			  Work permit 98,320 
			  Working holiday maker 70,304 
			  Total 1,940,840 
			
			 2005 EEA family permits 23,858 
			  Family visit 331,100 
			  Other non-settlement 109,656 
			  Other visitor 1,112,301 
			  Student 210,399 
			  Transit 54,905 
			  Work permit 113,052 
			  Working holiday maker 58,433 
			  Total 2,013,704 
			
			 2006 EEA family permits 25,217 
			  Family visit 376,377 
			  Other non-settlement 115,103 
			  Other visitor 1,202,704 
			  Student 238,880 
			  Transit 53,977 
			  Work permit 123,807 
			  Working holiday maker 46,138 
			  Total 2,182,203 
			
			 2007 EEA family permits 22,743 
			  Family visit 354,351 
			  Other non-settlement 120,112 
			  Other visitor 1,101,832 
			  PBS tier 1 - 
			  Student 242,885 
			  Transit 40,327 
			  Work permit 96,750 
			  Working holiday maker 39,392 
			  Total 2,018,392 
			
			 2008 EEA family permits 18,083 
			  Family visit 313,426 
			  Other non-settlement 112,089 
			  Other visitor 1,073,547 
			  PBS tier 1 12,052 
			  PBS tier 2 90 
			  PBS tier 5 382 
			  Student 233,020 
			  Transit 32,599 
			  Work permit 78,973 
			  Working holiday maker 34,467 
			  Total 1,908,728 
			  Note:  Information above is provisional and subject to change.

Illegal Immigrants

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) found guilty of employing illegal immigrants in each month of (i) 2007, (ii) 2008 and (iii) 2009.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 10 December 2009
	The "prosecution" of an individual employer for an offence relating to employing illegal migrant workers formerly occurred through the courts under section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996. The prosecution offences in 1996 were replaced by the introduction of civil penalties for employers in the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 in February 2008. An individual employer who has received a civil penalty for offences related to illegal working under the 2006 Act does not undergo prosecution through the courts.
	Between 29 February 2008 and 30 November 2009 a total of 3,376 Notices of Liability for a Civil Penalty were issued to employers of illegal migrant workers. This data are derived from local management information and is therefore provisional and liable to change.
	An employer may still be prosecuted under section 21 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 where it can be established that the employer "knowingly" employed an illegal migrant worker after 29 February 2008.
	Data on the number of defendants proceeded against and found guilty in 2007 and 2008 of offences relating to employing a person subject to immigration control is published by the Home Office in table 3.4 of the Control of Immigration.
	Statistics United Kingdom 2008, which is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	Data for 2008 remains provisional and subject to change. Data for 2009 will be published in summer 2010.
	The following tables from the Ministry of Justice provide a monthly breakdown of the overall figures set out in the above publication.
	
		
			   2007( 2, 3, 4)  2008( 1, 2, 3, 4) 
			   Proceeded against in magistrates court  Found guilty in all courts  Proceeded against in magistrates courts  Found guilty in all courts 
			 January 0 0 5 3 
			 February 4 4 12 6 
			 March 4 4 4 2 
			 April 3 1 5 7 
			 May 2 1 2 1 
			 June 1 1 5 3 
			 July 4 3 4 2 
			 August 1 0 6 7 
			 September 7 5 7 0 
			 October 3 2 8 4 
			 November 3 2 7 5 
			 December 7 2 2 0 
			 Total 39 25 67 40 
			 (1) Provisional. (2) Includes offences of employing a person aged 16 and above and employing a person knowingly that they are an adult subject to immigration control. (3) These are data on the principal immigration offence basis. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitation are taken into account when those data are used.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Liam Fox: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the scale of allowance is for members of the Iraq Inquiry.

Tessa Jowell: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 6 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 429-30W.

Winter Fuel Payments: Barnsley

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Barnsley East and Mexborough constituency are in receipt of winter fuel allowance.

Angela Eagle: For winter 2008-09 (the last year for which information is available), 18,700 people received a winter fuel payment in Barnsley, East and Mexborough.
	 Notes
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the Secretary of State's contribution of 5 January 2010,  Official Report,  House of Lords, column 42, on terrorism: aviation and border security, whether funds from his Department's budget have been allocated to other countries to assist the improvement of airport security in the last five years.

Paul Clark: Funds from the Department for Transport's budget have been and continue to be allocated to assist the improvement of aviation security in other countries. The Department has officials that are fully engaged in international and European fora developing and improving aviation security. In addition since 2002 the Department has had a network of five regional aviation security liaison officers (RASLOs) who are tasked to provide advice and assistance on aviation security throughout Africa, Middle East and Asia.

Body Searches: X-rays

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the effects on health of the use of body scanners that use X-ray technology.

Paul Clark: Some body scanners are X-ray machines, so a very small dose of radiation is involved. Previous assessments carried out by Health Protection Agency and St. Bartholomew's Hospital show the risk to be negligible in comparison to background radiation dose received from naturally occurring radiation. Further risk assessments are being obtained for future deployments.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Road Traffic

Adam Holloway: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what systems are used for switching on Q queuing signs on the Dartford River Crossing approaches; and what  (a) traffic levels and  (b) other variables trigger the signs.

Chris Mole: The "Q" signs on the approaches to the Dartford River Crossing were unique to Dartford and did not conform to signs used on the rest of the highway network. Their use was terminated in April 2009.
	At present, traffic flows are monitored and when operators perceive that congestion has developed on the approach to the crossing, signs warning of queues are set manually.
	The Highways Agency are in the process of implementing proposals for variable message signs to display the word "Queue" and be automatically set by the Motorway Incident Detection and Automatic Signalling system based on various factors including traffic levels. This system is expected to operate from April 2010.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Road Traffic

Adam Holloway: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether  (a) his Department and  (b) the Highways Agency has set targets to increase the rate at which vehicles may pass through the Dartford River Crossing toll plaza.

Chris Mole: The Dartford River Crossing is part of the Strategic Road Network which is monitored by the Highways Agency. The Highways Agency's contract with the Dartford Crossing operator (Connect Plus) has a requirement for a traffic throughput at the Dartford Toll plazas of 5,000 vehicles per hour, without generating traffic queues extending beyond the Toll Plaza areas.
	To monitor performance against this requirement, the average queue length is measured and reported separately for each payment plaza and time of day (peak, off-peak, night). The average toll collection transaction time each month is also measured and reported upon.

Passenger Ships: Liverpool

Julian Brazier: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 16 December 2009,  Official Report, column 142WS, on Liverpool Cruise Terminal, whether he has received a further application from Liverpool City Council for change of use linked to repayment of  (a) grant funding from the European Regional Development Fund and  (b) funding from the North West Development Agency.

Paul Clark: No. This would primarily be a matter for the Government Office North West which authorised the European regional development fund grant and the North West Development Agency.
	If repayments were made such that the Liverpool Cruise Terminal could no longer be regarded as having relied on public subsidy there would be no barrier to the proposed change of use on grounds of state aid, ports competition or harbour regulations.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what quantity of road salt was held in stock by each local authority on 30 November 2009.

Sadiq Khan: Following the severe weather conditions last February, the Government asked the UK Roads Liaison Group to identify the lessons that should be learnt regarding highway authorities' preparedness for extreme weather events. The UK Roads Liaison Group made 19 recommendations, one of which advised that:
	"in considering appropriate service standards, at least six days resilience would represent sensible good practice for determining the number of days resilience during the core winter period".
	The group noted that the Highways Agency was already holding a minimum of six days continuous heavy salting capacity in winter periods. The Highways Agency entered this winter period with 13 days capacity and the Government regard this as the right response following last year's events.
	It is for each authority to consider the recommendations and decide for themselves how best to take them forward, however, a write-round in late October by regional resilience teams (RRTs) in the Government offices found that of those local authorities that responded (third of local highway authorities) all but one were holding at least six days' supply, and more than half of those responding arranged to hold 10 days' supply or more.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will give further consideration to returning responsibility for road gritting to lower tier local authorities in two tier areas; and if he will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: Winter service is an integral part of highways maintenance, and contributes to highways authorities' discharge of their traffic management duties. To separate it from these other aspects of providing a highway service would offer no benefits but could create inefficiencies.

Legal Deposit Libraries Act

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 will be fully brought into effect.

Margaret Hodge: The Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 commenced on 1 February 2004. It was always the intention that the Act would be implemented progressively, as it is enabling legislation in a complex and challenging area.
	We are currently consulting on proposals for UK Offline Publications and UK online publications (available free of charge and without access restrictions). In the event that draft regulations result, they would be subject to affirmative resolution in both Houses.

World Cup 2018

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had on the Football Association's bid to host the 2018 football World Cup.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There are regular discussions between the Department and we have recently been able to agree all necessary Guarantees to FIFA and a loan of £2.5 million to support the bid.

Competitive Sports: Schools

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to facilitate the development of competitive sports in schools.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The annual school sport survey has shown a steady rise in the number of young people taking up competitive sport since 2003.
	This reflects the fact that competitive school sport is a top priority for this Government as part of our commitment to give every young person the opportunity to do five hours PE and sport a week.
	From 2008-11, Government are investing over £25 million into a network of 225 competition managers to increase the number of young people engaged in regular high quality inter-school competitive events.
	This is part of the £780 million being invested from 2008-11 into the PE and sport strategy for young people to help create a sustainable sporting legacy from hosting the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games.
	Furthermore, we have made universal access to regular competitive sport a key part of our new pupil guarantee, which will enshrine in law this Government's commitment to provide competitive sport for all.

Departmental Manpower

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 14 October 2009,  Official Report, column 907W, on departmental consultants, what the job title is of each of the 43 policy and senior advisers employed by his Department; and which of the posts are occupied by people on 12 month fixed-term contracts.

Si�n Simon: The 43 policy and senior advisers are known as either a policy or senior adviser and do not have any other job title. None of the posts are occupied by people on fixed- term contracts.

Radio Services

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to promote the provision of local radio services.

Si�n Simon: We have proposed a number of regulatory changes in the Draft Digital Economy Bill and the draft Community Radio (Amendment) order 2010, in particular in the regulation of localness, which will support the local radio sector by providing greater business certainty and the opportunity to reduce costs.

Radio Services

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment his Department has made of the effects on commercial radio stations of community radio advertising and sponsorship.

Si�n Simon: While no specific assessment has been made of the effects on commercial radio stations of the advertising and sponsorship restrictions placed on community radio stations, it was examined, in the context of the regulatory changes proposed in the impact assessment which accompanied the draft Community Radio (Amendment) Order 2010.

Radio: Licensing

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether he plans to bring forward proposals to remove the restrictions on community radio licence areas in respect of advertising and sponsorship.

Si�n Simon: The Government have no plans at this time to remove the current advertising and sponsorship restrictions which were placed on community radio stations in the Community Radio Order 2004.
	However, following reviews of the sector by Ofcom and as part of the Digital Britain Review we have introduced a draft Community Radio Order 2010 which seeks to reduce the regulatory burden on community stations. The order would allow stations to take greater than 50 per cent. of their funding from a single source and allow stations to apply for a renewal, of up to five years, of their existing licence. Taken together we believe these measures will support the community radio sector in the future without any significant impact on local commercial stations.

Serpentine: Swimming

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on which occasions the Serpentine has been closed to swimmers due to icy conditions in the last 30 years.

Margaret Hodge: The Royal Parks (TRP) advise that they do not keep records going back 30 years about when and why the Serpentine swimming area was closed. In recent years TRP has never closed the swimming facility due to icy conditions. During the recent cold weather, access to the path immediately adjacent to the swimming area by the general public was restricted, because of safety concerns, after some visitors had walked on to the ice. The Serpentine Swimming Club has been allowed to operate throughout the period and has been issued with keys to the gates to allow the Club access.

Tourism: Local Government

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to encourage best practice among local authorities on the promotion of tourism.

Margaret Hodge: Working with local authorities will be a central part of the tourism strategy for England, currently being developed by VisitEngland, and which is expected to be launched shortly. My Department also supports an initiative called the Charter for Placemaking and Destination Management. This provides guidance to local authorities on the promotion, development and measurement of the impact of tourism within their localities, and on working with the industry and public sector partners.
	The Department continues to engage with the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Local Government Association, and other partners (for example, Destination Performance UK and the British Resorts and Destinations Association) to promote these initiatives and the local visitor economy in general.

VisitBritain: Expenditure

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the percentage change in Visit Britain's total budget in real terms was in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 11 January 2010
	The following table details the grant in aid expenditure by VisitBritain from 2004-05 through to 2008-09 and the percentage change on a year on year basis. In 2003-04 there was a merger between the British Tourist Authority and the English Tourist Council and an additional one-off amount of £2.0 million was allocated to the new body VisitBritain, to assist with the merger. This one-off payment is reflected in the figures for 2003-04 and explains the difference between 2003-04 and 2004-05.
	
		
			  VisitBritain grant in aid funding 
			  £000 
			   Grant in aid as per resource account  Real terms grant in aid at 2008-09 prices  Percentage change in real terms 
			 2003-04 51,372 58,374  
			 2004-05 48,400 53,510 -8.3 
			 2005-06 48,900 53,072 -0.8 
			 2006-07 49,900 52,601 -0.9 
			 2007-08 50,650 51,892 -1.3 
			 2008-09 49,900 49,900 -3.8 
		
	
	The figures are derived from the grant in aid data in the Department's Resource Account and converted to 2008-09 prices.
	Following the three year comprehensive spending review (CSR) settlement for VisitBritain from 2008-09 to 2010-11, we carried out a strategic review of British tourism in order to ensure better co-ordination of the estimated £2 billion public funding invested in tourism during the current CSR period, from local, regional and national sources, and to identify ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of that support. As a result, there has been a fundamental restructuring of VisitBritain and a strengthened role for VisitEngland. The Government are confident that these new arrangements will provide a more robust and responsive vehicle to grow and sustain the tourism and hospitality industry.

Afghanistan: Reconstruction

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, column 182W, on Afghanistan: reconstruction, what the purpose of the Counter Narcotics Research and Analysis project is; for what reason his Department decided to fund the project; how much it received from his Department in its first year of operation; for what reason its funding was reduced in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10; and how much it received from his Department in each such year.

Ivan Lewis: The Counter Narcotics Research Programme provides the analytical basis for the UK's Counter Narcotics (CN) policy and aids its implementation. In ensuring a rigorous evidence base, monitoring and evaluation for CN, the programme contributes to the UK's effort to reduce harm of the drugs trade to Afghanistan. A key product encompassing this information is the UK's annual Drivers Report that provides in-depth analysis of the factors that affect a farmer's decision to plant poppy or other crops. It continues to directly improve the knowledge base of farmers planting decisions in Afghanistan, informing UK policy and lobbying decisions on CN in Afghanistan.
	Funding for the programme has been: financial year 2007-08-£241,631; financial year 2008-09-£243,401; and a budget for financial year 2009-10 of £296,000.

Afghanistan: Reconstruction

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, column 182W, on Afghanistan: reconstruction, what the purpose of the Counter Narcotics Interdiction project is; for what reason his Department decided to fund the project; how much it received from his Department in its first year of operation; for what reason its funding was reduced in 2009-10; and how much it has received from his Department in that year to date.

Ivan Lewis: The Counter Narcotics Interdiction Project, mentors the Counter Narcotics Police of Afghanistan in policing techniques, building technical capacity and developing the capability to disrupt key drugs networks. Funding for the project has been in FY 2006-07-£9,972,452; FY 2008-09-£15,778,000; FY 2009-10-£12,540,000.
	Funding for this project has been adjusted during each year to meet the project's necessary financial requirements.

Afghanistan: Reconstruction

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, column 182W, on Afghanistan: reconstruction, what the purpose of the Lashkar Gah District Stabilisation project is; for what reason his Department decided to fund the project; how much it received from his Department in its first year of operation; for what reason its funding was reduced in 2009-10; and how much it has received from his Department in that year to date.

Ivan Lewis: The purpose of the District Stabilisation project is to support the Government of Afghanistan in extending and exerting its authority in key districts, increasingly isolating the insurgency. The project was funded to provide stabilisation experts to work in the districts and to fund delivery of local programmes and projects. The stabilisation advisers help to mentor and coach the Afghan district governors so that they can extend their reach and authority. Local projects delivered through the district governor also demonstrated the Government's ability to deliver whilst at the same time improving the lives of local people.
	In financial year 2008-09, its first year, funding was distributed among the regions of the Province as follows: Lashkar Gah £1.08 million, Musa Qala £2.92 million, Sangin £2 million, Garmsir £1.25 million. In 2009-10 the funding was distributed as follows: Lashkar Gah £1.14 million, Musa Qala £697,000, Sangin £792,00, Garmsir £513,000. The budget was reduced in Musa Qala, Sangin and Garmsir for a number of reasons. The 2008-09 budgets included a number of large infrastructure projects (such as road builds) which were completed in year and therefore not budgeted for in 2009-10. The projects are meeting their programme goals and are contributing to UK strategic objectives. The projects have not yet been completed.

Afghanistan: Reconstruction

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, column 183W, on Afghanistan: reconstruction, what the purpose of the Publicity Project was; for what reason his Department decided to fund the project; how much it received from his Department in its first year of operation; for what reason his Department ceased to fund the programme in 2007-08; and what assessment has been made of its effectiveness.

Ivan Lewis: Detailed information not readily available without incurring disproportionate cost.

Afghanistan: Reconstruction

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, column 183W, on Afghanistan: reconstruction, what the purpose of the Support for Afghan National Army-patrol vehicles project was; for what reason his Department decided to fund the project; how much it received from his Department in its first year of operation; for what reason his Department ceased to fund the programme in 2007-08; and what assessment has been made of its effectiveness.

Ivan Lewis: Detailed information not readily available without incurring disproportionate cost.

Aminatou Haidar

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Moroccan authorities against the  (a) deportation from Western Sahara of Aminatou Haidar and  (b) prevention of Saharawi human rights activists from travelling abroad.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, discussed the case of Aminatou Haidar with the Moroccan Foreign Minister, Mr. Taieb Fassi Fihri, on 11 December 2009. His officials in London, our embassy in Rabat and the UK's Mission to the UN in New York, also discussed the case with their Moroccan counterparts throughout the period Ms Haidar was on hunger strike. The Government are pleased that the situation has been resolved. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials will continue to monitor the human dimension of the Western Sahara conflict and encourage greater transparency on human rights issues by all parties to the conflict.
	We have not received any representations regarding Saharawi human rights activists being prevented from travelling abroad.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many  (a) documents and  (b) other types of information held in electronic format at each level of security classification the Iraq Inquiry has requested from his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office (Angela E. Smith), on 14 December 2009,  Official Report, columns 840-41W.

Languages

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 21 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 1256-57W, on languages, whether more Dari and Pashto speakers will be required to accompany the recent troop surge.

Bill Rammell: I have been asked to reply.
	The Ministry of Defence continually reviews language support to those forces deployed in Afghanistan, and there has been an increase in both Dari and Pashtu speakers to support the recent troop surge.

Sri Lanka

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of levels of press freedom in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We are aware of the serious threats against media personnel who are critical of the Government of Sri Lanka and monitor the subject closely. On 27 October 2009, the EU expressed its concern about reports of severe harassment of journalists, restrictions on freedom of the press and freedom of expression in Sri Lanka. We regularly urge the Government of Sri Lanka to take decisive action to guarantee press freedom.
	In August journalist JS Tissainayagam was sentenced to 20 years following a conviction related to his writing. We are concerned about the message this sentence sends on the state of media freedoms in Sri Lanka. Mr. Tissainayagam was granted bail this week pending the outcome of his appeal. We are monitoring developments in the case closely.
	Investigations have so far failed to identify those responsible for the assassination of Lasantha Wickrematunga the Editor of the Sunday Leader newspaper, who was shot dead in Colombo on 8 January 2009. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary most recently wrote to the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister on 11 January 2010 to urge his Government to do everything possible to investigate the killing and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.

Departmental Buildings

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the  (a) area and  (b) estimated value is of (i) vacant and (ii) occupied office space (A) owned and (B) rented by his Department.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development has two office buildings in the UK. Our office at 1 Palace Street, London is a leasehold, with a net internal area of 16,405 square metres. Our office at Abercrombie House, East Kilbride is freehold with a net internal area of 10,680 square metres.
	Both buildings are fully occupied, although in the case of 1 Palace Street the building is shared with Visit Britain and Visit England, agencies of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
	The estimated market annual rental value assuming an underletting to another Government Department is as follows:
	1 Palace Street: £9.6 million
	Abercrombie House: £1.9 million.

Buildings: Energy

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of Government buildings have a G rating in their display energy certificates; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: Information about the number of Government buildings that have Display Energy Certificates, including the proportion that have a G rating, can be found on the Office of Government Commerce website at the following address:
	http://www.ogc.gov.uk/documents/Pan_Govt_DEC_Data_Sept09.xls

Fires: Injuries

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people rescued from fires by the fire service in each  (a) fire brigade area and  (b) region were (i) injured and (ii) uninjured in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Shahid Malik: The number of people injured and rescued from fires by fire and rescue service personnel are shown in the table for 2006-08 by fire authority and by region.
	The number of people rescued but uninjured are recorded, but under the system which ran until March 2009, full details of incidents for one only in five of incidents that did not involve injuries were input to central databases. It has been shown that, due to this methodology, estimates of numbers rescued derived from data held centrally are unreliable below national level.
	
		
			  Non-fatal casualties in fires rescued by FRS personnel, FRS area and region, England, 2006-08 
			  Region and FRS  2006  2007  2008( 1) 
			  England 2,422 2,170 2,152 
			 
			  North West 455 352 378 
			 Cheshire 28 16 32 
			 Cumbria 22 26 18 
			 Greater Manchester 230 177 199 
			 Lancashire 93 46 82 
			 Merseyside 82 87 47 
			 
			  North East 168 160 100 
			 Cleveland 38 21 25 
			 Durham 39 33 12 
			 Northumberland 6 5 4 
			 Tyne and Wear 85 101 59 
			 
			  Yorks and Humberside 324 273 253 
			 Humberside 69 74 47 
			 North Yorkshire 26 20 21 
			 South Yorkshire 95 86 64 
			 West Yorkshire 134 93 121 
			 
			  West Midlands 152 159 138 
			 Hereford and Worcestershire 12 19 20 
			 Shropshire 8 18 7 
			 Staffordshire 24 43 29 
			 Warwickshire 20 3 6 
			 West Midlands 88 76 76 
			 
			  East Midlands 166 128 177 
			 Derbyshire 28 29 33 
			 Leicestershire 30 24 22 
			 Lincolnshire 24 21 39 
			 Northamptonshire 17 11 10 
			 Nottinghamshire 67 43 73 
			 
			  East 196 196 189 
			 Bedfordshire 38 22 38 
			 Cambridgeshire 26 32 17 
			 Essex 34 50 41 
			 Hertfordshire 47 28 41 
			 Norfolk 33 54 38 
			 Suffolk 18 10 14 
			 
			  South West 181 198 177 
			 Avon 45 44 28 
			 Cornwall 7 20 23 
			 Devon 59 75 66 
			 Dorset 2 5 7 
			 Gloucestershire 9 9 14 
			 Somerset 18 21 10 
			 Wiltshire 41 24 29 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 
			 
			  South East 283 249 280 
			 Berkshire 30 24 31 
			 Buckinghamshire 24 22 10 
			 East Sussex 24 56 69 
			 Hampshire 88 55 60 
			 Isle of Wight 1 2 3 
			 Kent 43 37 43 
			 Oxfordshire 10 9 25 
			 Surrey 36 16 19 
			 West Sussex 27 28 20 
			 
			  London 497 455 460 
			 (1) Q1 2008 data have been revised since earlier publication.  Source: DCLG Fire Statistics: Ref: 2010005c (2006-08).sas 15 January 2010.

Bridlington and Scarborough Hospitals: Ambulance Services

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the effect on response times of ambulances travelling between Bridlington and Scarborough Hospital of snow and bad weather was in  (a) December 2009 and  (b) January 2010.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not collected centrally. The latest available data for Yorkshire Ambulance Service response times is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Ambulance emergency and urgent incidents: response times by ambulance service and category of call, 2008-09 
			   Category A calls  Category B calls 
			  Ambulance service  Total number of incidents with emergency response (Thousand)  Response within 8 minutes (Percentage)  Total number of incidents with ambulance vehicle arriving (Thousand)  Response within 19 minutes (Percentage)  Total number of incidents with ambulance vehicle arriving (Thousand)  Response within 19 minutes (Percentage) 
			 England 1,940.7 74.3 1,934.7 96.9 2,553.3 91.0 
			 Yorkshire 203.1 69.4 202.1 96.1 204.9 90.6 
			  Notes:  1. Category A: presenting conditions, which may be immediately life threatening and should receive an emergency response within eight minutes irrespective of location in 75 per cent. of cases. Presenting conditions which require an ambulance vehicle capable of transporting the patient to attend the incident must receive that response within 19 minutes of the request for transport (being made by the initial responder or being identified by the call taker, whichever is earlier) in 95 per cent. of cases.  2. Category B: presenting conditions, which though serious are not immediately life threatening and must receive a response within 19 minutes in 95 per cent. of cases.   Source:  The Information Centre for health and social care.

Direct Payments

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his latest estimate is of the number of people who are in receipt of a direct payment.

Phil Hope: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care collects and publishes information on the number of people receiving direct payments from councils with adult social services responsibilities.
	Information is collected for clients aged 18 and over both during the year April to March and as at 31 March. The number of carers receiving direct payments is also collected during the year April to March. Provisional information for 2008-09 is the latest data available.
	All 150 councils provided provisional information on the number of clients receiving direct payments.
	86,100 social care clients (aged 18 and over) in England received a direct payment during the year 2008-09 and 68,600 social care clients were in receipt of direct payments as at 31 March 2009.
	28,000 carers of adults aged 18 and over provided by 141 councils in England received a direct payment during the year 2008-09.
	Final data for 2008-09 is expected to be published by the NHS Information Centre on 25 February 2010 (Referrals, Assessments and Packages of Care data for clients) and in April 2010 (Personal Social Services Expenditure and Unit Costs Return 1 data for carers). This will incorporate revisions to the provisional data including the subsequent update of missing data items.

General Practitioners: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GP practices in the London borough of Bexley had extended opening hours in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2009.

Mike O'Brien: Data was not collected in 1997 on number of general practitioner (GP) practices offering extended opening. Information last collected in July 2009 showed that 18 of the 29 GP practices in Bexley care trust (62.1 per cent.) had extended opening hours, offering their patients access to routine appointments. We expect this to continue to increase.

Health Services: Isle of Man

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received from the Isle of Man government on his Department's decision on the discontinuance of reciprocal health arrangements between the NHS and the Isle of Man with effect from 1 April 2010; if he will meet Members of the House of Keys to discuss the decision; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Following representation from the Isle of Man Government, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is due to meet with a delegation from the Isle of Man Government on 19 January 2010.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for outpatient operations in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: The median waiting times for in-patient admissions and out-patient appointments is shown in the table.
	Information on the average waiting time for out-patient operations is not collected centrally. While some procedures might take place in out-patients, when an operation is required this will most likely be in an in-patient setting either as a day case or overnight admission.
	The in-patient/out-patient waiting times data do not indicate what treatment the patient received.
	
		
			  Median waiting time (weeks) 
			   Patients still waiting at period end  Patients seen during the quarter 
			  Period ending:  In-patient  Out-patient  Out-patient 
			 March 1997 13.2 n/a n/a 
			 June 1997 13.6 n/a 6.3 
			 March 1998 14.9 n/a 6.4 
			 March 1999 12.9 n/a 7.0 
			 March 2000 12.9 n/a 7.7 
			 March 2001 12.6 n/a 7.5 
			 March 2002 12.7 n/a 7.6 
			 March 2003 11.9 n/a 7.4 
			 March 2004 10.2 n/a 7.1 
			 March 2005 8.5 4.8 7.0 
			 March 2006 7.3 3.7 6.1 
			 March 2007 6.2 3.2 5.2 
			 March 2008 4.5 2.6 n/a 
			 March 2009 4.0 2.4 n/a 
			 November 2009 4.2 2.8 n/a 
			  Notes: 1. Out-patient waiting times are measured from referral by the general practitioner to first out-patient appointment to the consultant. 2. In-patient waiting times are measured from decision to admit to admission. 3. Out-patient commissioner data only available from June 1997. 4. Full out-patient waiting list only available from 2004-05, hence no median available on this basis before then. 5. Out-patient waiting times on a 'seen' basis ceased in September 2007. 6. Median waiting times are calculated from aggregate data, rather than patient level data, and therefore are only estimates of the average wait.  Source: Department of Health QM08R, QFO1 and monthly monitoring collections

Influenza: Milton Keynes

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were administered  (a) swine influenza vaccines and  (b) seasonal influenza vaccines by the Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust in 2008-09.

Gillian Merron: The total numbers of doses of swine and seasonal influenza vaccines administered by the Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust (PCT) in the 2008-09 seasonal influenza immunisation programme and up to 30 November 2009 in the 2009-10 seasonal and swine influenza immunisation programmes are given in the following table.
	For seasonal influenza, a single dose of vaccine is given therefore, the figures equate to the number of people vaccinated. For swine influenza vaccine, most, but not all, people are given a single dose of vaccine (some are given two doses of vaccine). Therefore, the total number of people vaccinated will be a little less than the number of doses given (data on the number of people vaccinated is not yet available).
	
		
			   2008-09( 1)  2009-10( 2) 
			 Seasonal influenza vaccine (3)30,011 (4,5)29,000 
			 Swine influenza vaccine - (4,5)5,500 
			 (1) Figures up to the end of the immunisation programme (31 January 2009). (2) Provisional figures collected part-way through the immunisation programmes (data available up to 30 November 2009). (3) Excludes vaccination of health care workers (HCWs) in Milton Keynes PCT for which there are no data. (4) Includes vaccination of HCWs in Milton Keynes PCT. (5) Approximate

Mental Health Services: Prisoners

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether steps have been taken to implement the new minimum target for the national health service of 14 days to transfer a prisoner with acute, severe mental illness to an appropriate health care facility.

Phil Hope: The cross-government delivery plan Improving Health Supporting Justice published in November 2009, sets out the intention to introduce a 14-day transfer process for prisoners with acute, severe mental disorder under section 47 and section 48 of the Mental Health Act 1983.
	The Department has set up a prison transfer project to lead on the implementation of 14-day transfers. A national expert advisory group has been established to support the work of the project. This group comprises key stakeholders from the Her Majesty's Prison Service, the national health service, The Royal College of Nursing, the Care Quality Commission, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons and the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will establish an independent inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005 into the operation of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.

Mike O'Brien: No. An independent inquiry chaired by Robert Francis QC is currently examining evidence relating to the operation of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of Health announced its establishment to the House on 21 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 123-25W. The inquiry is due to report its findings to us by the end of this month.

Monitor: Directors

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many paid directors are on the board of Monitor.

Mike O'Brien: We are advised by the executive chairman of Monitor (the statutory name of which is the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts) that there are currently five paid directors on the board of Monitor. The board is comprised of the executive chairman and four non-executive board members.
	Further information on the structure and remuneration of Monitor's board can be found in their Annual Reports and Accounts for 2008-09 which is available at:
	www.monitor-nhsft.gov.uk

Departmental Advertising

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the cost to the public purse was of his Department's Bedtime stories advertisement.

Joan Ruddock: The cost of the climate literacy campaign (including the television adverts known as 'Bedtime Story') which formed part of the Department's Act on CO2 initiative is budgeted at approximately £5.75 million. This includes production and media costs and creative development research. The climate literacy campaign phase began in October 2009 and ends January 2010.

Rain Forests: Guyana

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what response the Government has made to the offer by the President of Guyana for the Government to take responsibility for that country's rainforest; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: The UK welcomed the offer by the President of Guyana to keep their forests standing. We recognised that Guyana needs to reconcile development challenges with the need to keep forests standing in order to help in the fight against climate change. It is essential that Guyana is supported with sufficient incentives to maintain the services that its rainforests provide. The UK was therefore pleased to hear that Guyana has reached an agreement on support for their forest services with the Government of Norway.
	Ahead of the Copenhagen Accord, the UK together with the US, Japan, Australia, France and Norway committed to provide $3.5 billion public finance for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) over the period 2010-12 and to scaling it up thereafter.
	At Copenhagen, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and President Sarkozy reaffirmed that $25 billion is needed for a 25 per cent. reduction in emissions from deforestation by 2015, and that developed countries should pay a significant proportion of this. These announcements were strongly welcomed by rainforest countries including Guyana, Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica.
	We will continue to work with donors and rainforests nations in preparation for the reconvened climate negotiations in Mexico later this year, to ensure REDD+ continues to be central element of climate change negotiations.

Education: Staffordshire

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how much funding has been allocated for capital expenditure on educational establishments in Staffordshire in  (a) 2010 and  (b) 2011;
	(2)  how much was allocated for capital expenditure on education in Staffordshire in  (a) 1997 and  (b) in each year since 2007.

Vernon Coaker: The following table sets out total school allocations to Staffordshire for the financial year 1996-97, and for the financial years 2006-07 to 2010-11
	
		
			   Total allocations (£ million) 
			 1996-97 3.7 
			 2006-07 61.9 
			 2007-08 43.1 
			 2008-09 38.6 
			 2009-10 67.1 
			 2010-11 35.3 
		
	
	The £61.9 million allocation in 2006-07 includes £23.0 million for an academy. The £67.1 million in 2009-10 includes £14.7 million advanced from 2010-11 as part of the Government's fiscal stimulus.
	Capital funding is allocated to local authorities and schools who will prioritise how it is spent. This can be prioritised for direct capital expenditure such as classrooms, or for expenditure which is more of an establishment nature such as administration offices within schools. Records are not maintained centrally of the different types of expenditure.

GCSE: Crewe

Edward Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils in Crewe and Nantwich constituency obtained five or more A* to C GCSE grades in each academic year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is given as follows. Data below local authority level for 2008/09 is not yet available.
	
		
			  Pupils at the end of key stage 4 in maintained schools in Crewe and Nantwich constituency achieving five or more GCSEs or equivalent( 1)  at grades A*-C, 1996/07 to 2007/08( 2) 
			   Number of pupils achieving five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C  Percentage of pupils achieving five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C 
			 2007/08 798 61.3 
			 2006/07 667 53.3 
			 2005/06 666 55.0 
			 2004/05 682 55.2 
			 2003/04 640 53.7 
			 2002/03 626 55.0 
			 2001/02 593 50.7 
			 2000/01 560 48.6 
			 1999/2000 559 48.5 
			 1998/99 522 47.5 
			 1997/98 549 50.8 
			 1996/97 496 45.7 
			 (1) From 1997/98 includes GNVQ equivalences and from 2003/04 other equivalences approved for use pre-16. (2) Figures for 2004/05 onwards are based on pupils at the end of key stage 4. Data for previous years are based on pupils aged 15 years old at the start of the academic year.  Source:  National Pupil Database and Achievement and Attainment Tables (final data).

GCSE: Disadvantaged

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals achieved five GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and mathematics in  (a) rural,  (b) non-rural and  (c) inner London schools in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: The information requested for the academic years 2004/05 to 2007/08 is provided in the following table. The first year for which the requested information is available is 2004/05. School level data for 2008/09 is not yet available.
	
		
			  Pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) at the end of Key Stage 4 in maintained schools in (a) rural areas (excluding inner London), (b) non-rural areas (excluding inner London) and (c) inner London schools achieving five or more GCSEs or equivalent at grades A*-C including English and maths GCSEs, 2004/05 to 2007/08 
			   Pupils eligible for FSM in rural schools (excluding inner London) in England  Pupils eligible for FSM in non-rural schools (excluding inner London) in England  Pupils eligible for FSM in inner London schools 
			   Number of pupils  Percentage of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C at GCSE or equivalent including English and maths GCSEs  Number of pupils  Percentage of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C at GCSE or equivalent including English and maths GCSEs  Number of pupils  Percentage of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C at GCSE or equivalent including English and maths GCSEs 
			 2004/05 4,947 18.4 66,056 16.9 8,332 27.2 
			 2005/06 4,969 21.3 63,751 18.2 8,432 30.7 
			 2006/07 4,896 20.9 63,434 20.1 7,812 33.3 
			 2007/08 4,736 22.7 61,724 22.3 7,900 37.2 
			  Source: National Pupil Database and Achievement and Attainment Tables (final data)

Health Education: Diabetes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps have been taken to inform children in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools about diabetes.

Diana Johnson: Teaching about a healthier lifestyle is a major part of the framework for Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) which schools deliver throughout all four key stages (5-16). As a consequence teachers are free to cover particular topics, such as diabetes or asthma, as part of their lesson plans if they feel it is appropriate. The Government have stated its intention to make the teaching of PSHE education statutory and provisions are contained with the Children, Schools and Families Bill which is currently being debated in the House of Commons.

Pupil Exclusions: Disadvantaged

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2010,  Official Report, column 728W, on pupil exclusion: disadvantaged, what the equivalent figures are for pupils on free school meals whose ethnicity is recorded as  (a) white Irish,  (b) white Traveller of Irish heritage,  (c) white gypsy/Roma and  (d) any other white ethnicity.

Vernon Coaker: Information for 2007/08 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Primary, secondary and special schools,( 1,2,3)  number and percentage of pupil enrolments receiving one or more fixed period exclusions or a permanent exclusion by pupil characteristics( 4) ; England, 2007/08 (estimates)( 5) 
			   Permanent exclusion( 5)  One or more fixed period exclusions 
			   Number of pupil enrolments eligible for free school meals( 6)  Percentage of applicable school population( 7)  Number of pupil enrolments eligible for free school meals( 6)  Percentage of applicable school population( 7) 
			   Boys  Girls  Total  Boys  Girls  Total  Boys  Girls  Total  Boys  Girls  Total 
			 Irish(8) 20 (9)- 20 1.08 (9)- 0.61 240 90 330 11.75 4.83 8.42 
			 Traveller of Irish heritage(8) 10 (9)- 10 0.98 (9)- 0.60 150 60 210 13.11 5.29 9.31 
			 Gypsy/Roma(8) 20 10 30 1.02 0.39 0.71 270 100 370 14.70 5.89 10.40 
			 Any other white background(8) 50 10 60 0.29 0.06 0.18 1,050 440 1,480 6.07 2.61 4.37 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies (including all-through academies). (3) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (4) Pupils may be counted more than once if they were registered at more than one school or changed schools during the year. (5) Figures relating to permanent exclusions are estimates based on incomplete pupil-level data. (6) Free school meal eligibility as at the time of the January 2008 School Census. (7) The number of pupil enrolments who received exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of all pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) by ethnic group, in January 2008. (8) Includes pupils of compulsory school age and above only. (9) Less than 5 or a rate based on less than 5.  Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Secondary Education: Coventry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what representations his Department has received from Coventry City Council on the recommendations made in the report of the Badman review of secondary education.

Diana Johnson: Coventry city council responded to the recent public consultation 'Home Education: registration and monitoring proposals' ending 19 October 2009 which was launched following the publication of the Badman review into home education in June 2009. I will write separately providing a copy of the full response.

Young People: Antisocial Behaviour

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of youth crime and anti-social behaviour; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Youth Taskforce Action Plan and the cross-departmental Youth Crime Action Plan set out the Government's approach to preventing and tackling youth crime and antisocial behaviour. The Youth Taskforce is driving delivery of both action plans, working with more than 80 local authorities and their partners across the country to ensure that every area can deliver an appropriate response to the needs of vulnerable young people.
	The most recent Youth Taskforce progress report is available at:
	www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/Youth/youthmatters/youthtaskforce/ytf/

Apprentices

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people completed an apprenticeship in each year since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: Table 1 shows the total number of people who have completed a full apprenticeship framework. Framework completion data was not published in the pre-LSC era, so figures are not available prior to 2001/02.
	
		
			  Table 1: Apprenticeship framework achievements 
			  Academic year  Framework achievements 
			 2001/02 39,000 
			 2002/03 42,700 
			 2003/04 49,300 
			 2004/05 67,200 
			 2005/06 98,700 
			 2006/07 111,800 
			 2007/08 112,600 
			 2008/09 143,400 
			  Note:  Volumes are rounded to the nearest hundred.  Source: WBL/ERILR

Dietary Supplements: EC Law

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the effects of EU Food Supplement Directive (2002/46/EC) in setting maximum levels of vitamins and minerals on  (a) small vitamin and food supplement producers,  (b) consumer choice,  (c) the availability of products from unregulated vitamin suppliers from countries outside the EU and  (d) sales of vitamin and food supplements in the UK; and what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on this matter.

Kevin Brennan: The Department has been actively engaged in the ongoing development of a full impact assessment by the Food Standards Agency who lead on this issue for Government, we have not, however, conducted an additional assessment of our own. The Food Standards Agency impact assessment addresses the effect of these proposals on all stakeholders, including small vitamin and supplement producers, UK sales of supplements, availability of unregulated supplies and ongoing consumer choice.
	The assessment has been informed by recent constructive meetings between industry, the Food Standards Agency and BIS officials as well as the recent impact assessment carried out by industry representatives following discussions with Food Standards Agency, DEFRA and BIS.
	Although I have not had recent discussions with European counterparts on this matter, BIS officials continue to work closely with the Food Standards Agency to develop the UK negotiating position and feed into Commission proposals.

Boilers: Government Assistance

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether expenditure in England on the boiler scrappage scheme will be subject to the Barnett formula and consequential funding made available for Wales.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 12 January 2010
	 The Boiler Scrappage Scheme was announced in the pre Budget report. The devolved Administrations received Barnett consequentials on additional funding at that time.